There is a new food identification system that lets you find food to advance your performance while eating in the DFAC. Look for the green, yellow, and red labels at the DFAC and pick foods identified as green and yellow while limiting those that are red.

High performance foods:

Premium fuel for the Soldier Athlete

Fresh and flavorful

Nutrient dense

Go for Green: Choose frequently

Moderate performance foods:

Higher in calories

Lower in vitamins and minerals

Use Caution: Select less frequently

Performance-limiting foods:

Highest in calories

Lowest in vitamins and minerals

Warning: Limit intake

Hydration

Loss of water = Loss of performance

It doesn't take much water loss for your performance to suffer. With only 5% body weight of water, your speed and concentration are reduced. It doesn't matter how fit you are, what your body composition is, or how old you are, you can easily become dehydrated. It can happen quickly when you are physically active, especially in extreme climates.

Weight loss is used to measure water loss. The weight you lose over a period of several hours of physical activity is the body water you have lost in the form of sweat.
In a 150-pound person, a 1.5 pound weight loss would be a loss of 1% of body weight and about 3 cups of sweat.

To avoid dehydration that can harm your performance and health, you might have to make yourself drink when you are not thirsty.

Follow these steps to prevent dehydration:

Make water your first choice of fluids

Cool plain water is the best performance fluid replacer for any physical activity that last less than 90 minutes.

Water is always BETTER than soda, energy drinks, coffee, beer or full-strength fruit juice, and EQUAL to sports drinks for replacing the fluid you lose.

Don't wait until you are thirsty to drink.

By the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated.

Drink beyond your feeling of thirst. If you stop drinking when your thirst is satisfied, you have replaced only about two-thirds of the water you have lost.

Sip frequently rather than gulp all at once; drinking small amounts of fluids at a time is more effective than large amounts only occasionally.

Monitor fluid loss.

Monitor urine color- when you are hydrated, urine is clear or pale yellow. It is dark yellow or brown when you are dehydrated.

Weigh yourself before and after activity to see how much water you have lost. Drink 2-3 cups for every pound you lose during physical activity.

Drink regularly and frequently.
Drink at least 8-10 cups of water a day at regular intervals. In extreme climates you will need even more water to prevent dehydration.

Drink before, during, and after activity. Get into the habit of drinking regularly and frequently all day. Use these guidelines:

Before:

Drink a minimum of 2 - 3 cups of water approximately 2 - 3 hours before physical activity.

During:

Most people don't need anything other than water during exercise lasting less than 1 hour.

When you are working continuously for longer than 60 - 90 minutes, especially in the heat, your glycogen levels start to dwindle if you are only drinking water. Sports drinks can have added performance benefits as they provide carbohydrates that help refuel glycogen stores and blood sugar levels. They also contain electrolytes like salt, which help you retain body water.

Related Programs and Contacts

Army Wellness Centers provide strategic direction to support a standardized worldwide wellness initiative that empowers sustainable behavior change through evidence based education and awareness using advanced technology.

Health Promotion Operations assures the Community Health Promotion Council enhances Health of the Force through a community-driven public health planning process for the benefit of Soldiers, Family Members, Retirees, and Civilians.

Related Training

The Army Medicine Campaign Plan Research to Practice Education Series is held 5 times a year and consists of two or more presentations from experts in the fields of injury prevention, health promotion, and physical performance optimization.

This course offers advanced training in tropical medicine/global health and covers a broad range of topics to include operationally important infectious diseases, environmental illnesses, pre/post-travel medical evaluations, and public health issues.

This Web site provides an introduction to the Army Public Health Center, a U.S. Army Medical Department organization. It is intended for interested members of the public, news media, and Army Medical Department professionals and beneficiaries.